The Los Angeles City Planning Commission unanimously rejected an appeal brought by business owners and residents to stop Weingart Center’s planned two-building affordable housing project in Skid Row. The city approved the $138 million plan earlier this month.

Weingart, a homeless services provider, will develop the buildings at 554-562 S. San Pedro Street. All but four of the 382 residential units will be dedicated to supportive housing and family affordable housing. The construction comes as L.A. continues to grapple with ways to address the increasing homeless population.

Owners of properties next to the planned site filed the appeals to halt the construction, saying that more homeless housing would lead to increased loitering and drug use, and that construction would negatively affect businesses.

The 12- and 18-story buildings by Joseph Wong Design Associates and AHBE Landscape Architects are scheduled to open in 2022. The project also calls for 2,250 square feet of ground-floor retail and support services.

It is the first of three phases planned by Weingart and its partner, Chelsea Investment Corp., which will end up totaling almost 700 new supportive and affordable housing units by 2025. [Urbanize] — Gregory Cornfield